Having a website helps grow an online presence, whether that be your personal blog or business, by connecting you with a broader audience. A website can also become a platform for sharing your opinions and skills, creating opportunities for personal or work-related projects.
This article will help you turn your website idea into a fully-functional website – pick a suitable platform, get a web hosting plan, and choose a memorable domain name using a web domain checker tool. We’ll also give you tips on how to optimize it.
As an example, we will show how to make a high-quality website using the WordPress content management system and Zyro website builder. Both of these platforms are beginner-friendly, not requiring any coding knowledge.
We will also share what to do after publishing a website and answer some of the most frequently asked questions. By the end of this article, you will be able to create your first website from scratch.
Get a Web Hosting Plan
Web hosting is a service that publishes a website or web application on the internet. Before choosing a hosting plan, decide what type of web host is suitable for your needs. If you are using a platform like WordPress, you may want to consider different CMS web hosting options as they offer optimized solutions specifically designed for CMS sites.
This is because most website builders use their own hosting providers. So, move forward to the next section if you have chosen to use a website builder.
To find a suitable web host, think about the type of website you are creating and consider these elements:
- Cost. Some web hosts charge more than others. Make sure to adjust the hosting price to your overall budget.
- Features. Consider the bandwidth and storage to see if the hosting provider can support your website files and the targeted amount of visitors.
- Security. Check the built-in security measures, such as automated backups and an SSL certificate.
- Support. Different web hosting companies offer their own set of support, either through a live chat or email. Make sure to select a web host that can provide reliable support 24/7.
After finding a suitable hosting, take a look at the different plans. Ultimately, choosing a hosting plan depends on the type of website you want to build. For example, if you want to build a WordPress eCommerce store, check out Hostinger’s WooCommerce plans.
However, don’t forget to check the following features:
- Free domain name. Hosting companies like Hostinger offer plans that come with a domain free of charge, at least for the first year. Selecting a plan with this benefit will lower the initial costs of making a website.
- Suitable storage. Adjust the storage capacity to ensure that it will be enough for all of your files, images, and videos without reducing the website speed.
- Great bandwidth. Opt for unlimited bandwidth so that your website can handle large traffic at any time.
If you are looking for a beginner-friendly hosting service to create a small to medium website, we recommend using shared web hosting. Hostinger offers cheap website hosting and more premium plans. That being said, our Premium Shared Hosting plan comes at $2.99/month with a free domain name registration, along with unlimited bandwidth and databases. You may also get the additional discount Hostinger regularly offers for different hosting plans.
On the other hand, Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting gives access to a more secure and flexible server, but using it requires some technical knowledge. Though you can install an easy-to-use control panel with your VPS like Cyberpanel, powered by LiteSpeed.
The price for Hostinger’s VPS hosting plans ranges from $3.49/month to $77.99/month. All of the plans come with a dedicated IP address and 24/7 live chat support.
For large websites, such as online stores, cloud hosting offers excellent reliability. For example, Hostinger’s Cloud Startup plan costs $9.99/month, comes with industry-standard data protection, a free content delivery network (CDN) and daily backups.
Choose a Memorable Domain Name
Lastly, choose a domain name for your website. A custom domain name is not only essential to help visitors find a website, but it is also part of branding. A memorable domain name can also drive high organic traffic.
To find the right domain for your website, consider the following elements:
- Recognition. Choose a domain that is short and clear to avoid visitors misspelling it. Using familiar words will help visitors to remember your domain name easier.
- Availability. Use a web domain checker to check whether the desired domain name is available. If not, try changing the extension or looking for an alternative domain name.